Artificial limb



H. EGLI.

I ARTIFICIAL was.

I igm ucmon FILED qctza. ms. Reissued Jan 25,1921.

INVENTOR WITNESS 4%,

. winding of a continuous strip having an S' UNITED "STATES PATENTOFFICE.

HERMAN EGLI, orwnsr HOBOKEN, ew JERSEY, AssIeNon TO n-z FIT ARTIFICIALLIMB so. me, or new YORK, N. Y., A conron irron or ew YORK ARTIFICIALLIMBi U Specification of Reissued Letterslatent. Reis u d J 25 1921Original No. 1,201,812, dated October 17, 1916, Serial ITO/80,113, filedF ua y 24, 1916. Application for reissue filed October '28, 1918. SerialNo.'260,036.

lowing is a specification.

Modern artificial limbs must combine lightness, strength anddurabilityand, for those reasons, were heretofore made of wood,aluminum, rawhide and similar material.

The artificial limb, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, is formedof one continuous strip of sheet material and obtains its final shape,mating a natural limb, by cutting the strip similar in form to theletter S and arranging it into a helix, having suitable means forsecuring it to the human body and for attaching the necessary joints.While it is preferable to form the helix or shape, it is not alwaysessential that the strip be continuous or of this particular 8 shape.The material of the strip is a strong, fibrous, sheet material, suitableto the purposes of my invention.

The. limb and its details of construction are shown in Figure 1, as aside elevation of the lower leg.

Fig. 2 illustrates one form of the S shaped strip of sheet material.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a device for shaping the stripinto ahelix.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the limb with a foot attached.

Fig. 5 is a detail of construction of adjoining turns of the helix, and

Figs. 6 and 7 are details of construction of the means for securing thefoot to the limb.

A sheet of fibrous relatively thin material is cut into cyma-form or Sshaped elements 1, or other suitable shape, varying in demensions andcurvatures according to the size and form of the natural limb to beimitated.

This element or templet is first softened and" made pliable by, forinstance, steaming or heating it and then shaped by rolling it through adevice similar to the one shown in Fig. 3, although any other method orapparatus may be employed for this purpose.

The rollers 18, 19 and 20, engaging the templet, may be suitablyheated,-if desired, so

that the material first softened is hardened and stiffened again, afterhaving been shaped. The templet, when leaving the rollers, will at onceassume'the form of a helix, as shown in Fig.1, formed by abuttlng turns2, 3, 4 and 5. The turns of the winding are held in permanent positionby suitable means secured to said turns. These means preferably consistof upright metal strips riveted to said turns. In the drawings there areshown two metal strips each consistingof an upper part 8 riveted to theupper turns on the outside and a lower part 10 riveted to the lowerturns on the inside. Each strip passes from the outside to the insidethrough a slit 21. These strips constitute means to hold the turns ofthe winding in permanent position and may have bearings 9 for the kneejoint and bearings 11 for the foot joint. The sides of the abuttingturns maybe flush, edge to edge, or may overlap,'and these abuttingedgeslnay be covered by strips of adhesive material 6 and T, or otherconvenientv means. The helix may be coated with one or more layersofvarnish so as to make it moistureprooii:

The foot may be carried by having the ends of the lower brace 10, pass abearing plate 13, provided with slots 14: and 15. A

bolt, located in the bearing groove 16, of t is foot12, secures the footto the bearings 11. A retractile spring 17, or other well known means,is usually provided for giving the foot the necessary resiliency.

l Vhat I claim is:

'1. The method of producing artificial limbs which consists in, first,providing a continuous cyma-form element of fibrous sheet material,second, shaping the same into helicoidal form, and third, securingtogether the sides oi abutting turns of said helix.

2. An artificial limb comprising a helix formed of a continuouscyma-form element of fibrous sheet material.

3. An artificial'limb comprising a helix formed of a continuous elementof fibrous sheet material having the sides of abutting turns 01": saidhelix overlapping, and means for securing together said abutting turns.

1. An artificial limb'comprising a helix formed ofstrong, fibrous, sheetmaterial, and means secured to and holding the turns of the helix inpermanent position.

v5. An artificial limb comprising a helix formed of strong, fibrous,sheet material, and means comprising metal stri s riveted to and holdingthe turns of the he ix in permanent position.

6. The method of producing an artificial limb which conslsts inproviding a strip of strong, fibrous, sheet material, rendering the I,

vOctober, 1918.

same pliable by subjecting it to heat and moisture, shapingthe same intothe form of a helix, and securing the turns of the helix 10 v to etherin permanent position.

ihis specification signed this 15th day of HERMAN EGLI.

